The Portland daily press., 1887-01-25
a HAUNTED SHIP.
Hundreds of Lives Sacrlflced.by the
IiI-Fated Harvey Mills.
tNew York Herald.l

tut IcCOIQo VI shipping mas LHefe
been an instance OF such consistent perversi.
ty and persistent adversely following the
fortunes OF sailing vessel as pursued the
Harvey Mills from the hour of launching 10
the hour Of laundering In midocean.
This modern mariner lives in Brooklyn
He left the sea because he could not recon
eile his conscience with the ways Of PrOVi-
dence to the sailor and because he preferred
the conservatism Of society on dry land to
the instability Of deep sea navigation. Part
ly from his experience, partly from the rec
ords Of the American Shlpmasters' Associa-
tion, at No. 81 William street, this city, and
partly from reports that have appeared In
the English newspapers at intervals during
the past ten years, these remarkable inei-
dents In the career Of the Harvey Mills are
arranged in the order Of their occurrence.
LAUNCHED oNFRIDAY.
On the last Thursday of September, 1876,
the hull Of what was 10 be a full rigged shin
lay in the doekyard Of the seaport town Of
IhOmast0n, Me-, ready for launching. A
harassing series Of delays bad attended her
construction. In spite Of accurate desinging
and the employment OF skilled artisans her
timbers were found to be at geOmetrical skies
and sevens, and half Of them had to be recut
ana ana replaced she was 25l feet long, and ii
mad been the purpose OF her builder, Mr..
Harvey Mills, to complete the ship on the
23lst day OF the year, about the middle Of
August, but the aforesaid series Of DELAYS
made this impossible. Accidents were con
tinually happening to the workmen em-
ployed In the yard: Tackle and engines
broke and became dis0rganized almost daily,
and every time beam, block or seaffoid
fell one or more wOrkmen were carried 10 the
hospital The first estimate cost of S15O,OOO
was exceeded by nearly $4,000, directly con-
sequent on these misadventures. and when,
on the last Thursday in September, orders
were given to launch the ship she had al
ready earned a bad character. The ways
were creased, all blocks removed, but the
ship refused to bulge. The workmen toiled
until midnight with levers and ropes to force
her into the sea, and few moments after
midnight the big mastless bulk Slipped SO
suddenly that one Of the workmen was
crushed to death beneath her bows.
thus baptized in blood and launched on
Friday, the Harvey Mills began her disas-
trus career. She was 43 feet beam and 20
feet inches depth of hold, was built of oak
and yellow pine, and was 2,077 tons burden.
She began trading between Liverpool and
Port Royal, ). c., the following spring. On
her first trip along the coast, she sprang
aleak and came very near being abandoned
by her crew. She reached Port Royal in a
sinking condition, and it was found that she
had lost one OF her bottom planks in some
mysterious manner. Having been carefully
repaired and overhauled, the Harvey Mills
was laden with cotton. in bales, and cleared
for Liverpool.
FLOATING FURNACE.
When. five days out, having experienced
unusually rough weather, an alarm of fire
was given on a Friday midnight. A panic
prevailed. The captain and mate restored
order at the muzzles of revolvers, and made
search for the seat Of Inflammation. The
hold was full Of smoke, and spirals Of suffo-
eating yellow vapor came from the matches.
Spontaneous combustion was the only expla-
nation. Water poured into the smouldering
cotton produced no effect. and the matches
were at last battened down, and the ships
course changed to New York. 1t was
frightful voyage. The decks became hot
and had to be repeatedly drenched with wa
Ter TO permit walking upon them. A series
Of calms succeeded stormy weather, and the
Harvey Mills drifted like fire raft upon
tropical lagoon. On the second dav her
mainmast, eaten away by the heat, broke un-
der the rolling Of the ship. and almost went
overheard, Sne reached New York in the
latter part OF March, 1877. with half her car
20 ruined and the hull baked, steamed and
eharred TO degree that necessitated several
months repairing.
HAUNTED By sPEcTREs.
While the record of the Harvey Mills
during the next i've years Is mOnOtOnOus In
the regularity of her misfortunes there was
never any monot0ny or freedom from excite
ment 70 her crews. No sailor would make
second voyage in her, even for pay beyond
the dreams Of commercial avarfce. During
her successive voyages across the Atlantic
she repeatedly changed Ownerships at a con-
stantly decreasing figure. II there was a
wreck In her part Of the ocean the Harvey
Mills was certain TO collide with II. III there
happened to be sick man ON board when
she sailed that man surely died. The ship
was again and again short handed from the
ravages Of epidemic diseases and desertiOns,
and to cap the very climax of superstitious
horror she won the reputation of being
haunted.
Every time there was storm the rigging
became filed with luminous beings, who
added their cries TO the noises of the tenn
pests and constant reign Of terror pre-
vailed in the forecastle owing to the reputed
had died by violence or disease. They mani
tested their presence In the usual spiritual
istic way, and one fact is curious TO note
that the Harvey Mills was always entirely
free from rats.
A COLLISION IN THE NIGHT.
In December, 1882, the Harvey Mills set
sail from Liverpool with new crew and
full cargo Of miscellaneous merchandise, and
Insured at heavy premium. Her previous
record had incurred the displeasure of the
underwriters and she was regarded as the
poorest risk afloat. She encountered a fog
in the English Channel and hove to until the
weather cleared. A constant lookout was
kept with lights burning, and it Is reported
sail and slowly moved out to sea. How she
managed to strike amidships an English
bark just coming into port has never been
explained, partly because none of the bark's
crew survived to tell their side of the story.
The smaller vessel was not hailed until it
was too late to avoid the crash. The Harvey
Mills rode her down like an iron proved
ram. The bark was heavily laden with iron
like unto which it sank. The bows Of the
big ship were splintered and torn open and
AaaI ha
the expense Of the underwriters.
A month was consumed In repairs and the
Harvey Mills was put up at auction. She
had new cost, in addition to the first ex-
pense Of S165,000 for construction, over
double that amount for salvage paid to YES
port wreck and for the incessant repairing
her misfortunes had necessitated. Forty
thousand dollars was the highest price bid
for her, and she was again eargoed and CON
signed to Port Royal. Extraordinary precau-
tiOns were taken to keep her afloat and a
captain noted for his seamanship given the
command"
WRECKED IN A HURRICANE.
In January, 1888, the Harvey Mills again
faced the perils Of the English Channel
The weather was pleasant and promised, all
that could be desired The white cliffs Of
Albion" were just sinking beneath the hori-
zon when the wind increased in strength.
ricane. Two sailors were washed over
board. The waves seemed to curl over the
masthead. Every boat and all the deck
furniture went by the board. Sail after sail
snapped its fastenings and floated like a
white bird over the sea, OF was ripped into
ribbons that like whip cords snapped as if
to goad the tempest to greater fury First
the mizZenmast cracked and reeled into the
water. Scarcely had the shrouds been cut
away than the f0remast and then the MAIN
mast succumbed to the atmOspherical pres
sure, and the Harvey Mills, dismantled
hulk, drifted with the hurricane back over
the course she had just sailed full Of beauty
and strength.
The next day tug boat towed her back to
Liverpool, to be practically rebuilt. IL was
not until April, 1883, that she was again In
condition to sail, and again she was put up
at auction. This time she was bought by
Il. OBrien OF ThOmast0n, Me-, for One-third
OF original cost, and consigned to Port Royal,
with the intention Of transferring her to the
Pacific Ocean, in the hope that change Of
waters would change her luck.
1t appears that on this, her last voyage
across the Atlantic, the Harvey Mills en-
and so long was she driven to and fro at the
caprices of the winds that the crew had Oeca-
sion to bewail the freedom Of the ship from
rats, so great was the scarcity of fresh meat.
All the provisions were exhausted, fresh
water became priceless, and the men were
too weak to mutiny, when port was reached
at last BY the same fatality that had pur-
sued the ship from the first, not a sail hove
in sight while she was being tossed across
every latitude. She seemed TO be bewitched
upon a deserted sea. At Port ROYAL her an